D.C. United expecting reaction from Messi and Miami after poor MLS run

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

D.C. United head coach Rene Weiler is expecting a reaction from out-of-form Inter Miami on Saturday, when he takes his team to Nu Stadium. 

Despite the outstanding form of Lionel Messi, Miami have failed to win any of their last five MLS games, playing out four straight draws before losing 2-1 to the Colombus Crew on September 27.

Coming out of an international break that saw Messi make an emotional farewell appearance for Argentina, Miami sit third in the Eastern Conference. 

Their hopes of reclaiming the Supporters’ Shield are all but over, as they are 14 points behind Nashville SC with just seven regular-season games to go.

D.C., meanwhile, are 11th in the East, two places and three points outside the playoff picture, having drawn 3-3 with the Vancouver Whitecaps last time out.

Previewing the trip to Florida, Weiler told reporters: “First, Miami are a good team. And they lost their last game against Columbus, which makes the task a little more complicated than it already was.

“They haven’t had the best results lately, so they have to show a reaction. There’s no option for them other than to win against us.

“So, it will be a tough game, a great game featuring good players. The weather conditions and all the rest will be the same for both teams.

“We hope we can play a good game, and of course, we need the best performances from all our players, otherwise it will be more than just difficult.”

D.C. have gone three games without a win (D2 L1) since overcoming the Crew 2-1 in early September, yet they remain in the thick of a congested playoff battle – every team between seventh and 13th in the East is separated by just five points. 

Clear your schedule, October’s here  Don’t miss the action at home or away https://t.co/5DWWI34gug

— D.C. United (@dcunited) October 1, 2026

“We want to try to become better daily. That is the main reason we have the training sessions, and we spoke about the young players – there are different skills they have to improve,” Weiler added.

“Then, we’ll try to become better as a team. But we had some players away from the team in the last two weeks. We’ll also have to manage the workload because our squad is tight and we have a lot of games in a row.”

Having also scored on his final appearance for Argentina in midweek, Messi has been directly involved in at least one goal in 10 straight matches in all competitions for Miami (10 goals, five assists).

It is the eighth time in his career that he has had a goal contribution in 10 or more consecutive club games, and the second time for Miami (11 straight from February to May 2024).

Leo Messi magic  Your September Goal of the Month  https://t.co/QoME4WVwTg

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) October 7, 2026

Since the beginning of the 2025 season, D.C. United have scored just 64 goals in 60 matches, fewer than any other MLS team. 

Despite playing in eight fewer games (52), Messi alone has been involved in 19 more regular-season goals than D.C. United since the start of last year (83 – 50 goals, 33 assists).

Baribo has been D.C.’s main goal threat this year, netting 14 times, which is eight more than their next-most prolific player Louis Munteanu (six).

MATCH PREDICTION – INTER MIAMI WIN

Inter Miami have won four of their last five meetings with D.C. United (D1), including the last two in a row, after winning just one of the teams’ first seven encounters (D2 L4). 

The Herons have won all three matches against D.C. when Messi has played, including a 2-1 victory in Baltimore on March 7.

But despite Messi contributing to a goal in each of Miami’s last five MLS games, the Herons have failed to win any of those matches. 

This is the first time in Messi’s career that his team has gone winless in five straight league matches when he has appeared, in 655 career games across LaLiga, Ligue 1 and MLS.

However, Kily Gonzalez’s side are overwhelming favourites, as D.C. have only won two of their last 15 regular-season matches (D9 L4) since a 2-0 victory over New York City in early May. D.C.’s 11 wins since the start of last season are also the fewest in MLS in that time.

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